1. Field
The invention is in the field of apparatus for simulating the playing of sport games, particularly the simulating of playing a game of golf.
2. State of the Art
Various arrangements are used for simulating the playing of a game of golf in small areas, such as indoors, to provide opportunities for people to play who might not otherwise be able to play because of crowded golf course conditions or because of bad weather. In addition, such golf simulators can simulate play on various famous golf courses not otherwise accessible to the players.
Most golf simulation equipment includes at least three components: a central control unit which keeps track of play and calculates ball travel and lie, a sensor unit which senses how a ball is hit to enable the control unit to calculate the trajectory and resulting lie of the hit ball, and a projection unit for projecting an image showing the green to which the ball is to be hit from the location of the ball. Because the equipment senses how a ball is hit and the distance and direction of travel of the ball, such equipment could also be adapted to simulate various other sport games, such as baseball or soccer, or at least various practice aspects thereof.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,150,825 and 4,437,672 show a type of golf simulation game. In the game of the patents, one to four players initially enter information into the control unit regarding the players and the mens, women, or championship tees from which each will play, and the particular course and holes to be played , e.g., the front nine, back nine, etc. The control unit then operates a display to show who is to tee off and operates a projector to project an image on a screen in front of the players showing the view toward the green from the tee. The player hits his ball from the tee toward the green as he or she would on a regular golf course, the ball flying toward and hitting the screen which is specially design for that purpose and is usually located about twenty feet in front of the player. Special sensors in the form of photosensor arrays are arranged to detect passage of the ball through three separate sensing planes, the third plane being positioned with respect to the screen so as to sense the ball's movement toward the screen and also the ball's rebound from the screen. With the information from the sensors, the ball's trajectory ca be calculated and the position at which the ball lands along the fairway can be determined relatively accurately. The control unit keeps track of each player's ball and the position at which it landed. After all players have teed off, the control unit determines which player's ball is farthest from the hole and causes operation of the projector to move to and project an image on the screen showing the view from the position of the farthest ball looking toward the green. The player again hits his or her ball toward the green shown on the screen and again the trajectory of the ball is calculated and the new position along the fairway determined. The control unit then again determines the farthest ball from the hole, displays the name of the player, and instructs the projector to provide the new appropriate image. The identified player then hits his or her ball. Play is continued in this manner until all players reach the green. At that time, a simulated green is lighted and the players actually putt the ball into a hole in the simulated green.
In some embodiments of the equipment shown in the referenced patents, a light spot projector is included to project a light spot on the screen representing the flight of the golf ball down the fairway as it is hit. Various other accessories may also be added to the equipment.
With the equipment shown in the referenced patents and similar equipment known to the inventor, the equipment is designed as a whole with the various sensors, projectors, etc. all designed to be operated and integrated through specifically designed control circuitry with the required interconnections being made by individual wires extending between the control circuitry and the various components. The problem with such construction is that it is difficult to make improvements in various parts of the equipment. For example, if an improvement is made to the projector unit, such as the improvement shown in cited U.S. Pat. No. 4,437,672, the control unit also has to be physically changed in order to effect control of the improved projector and additional wiring between the control unit and projector has to be installed. This slows the implementation of improvements to the equipment because with an improved projector unit, not only is the projector unit replaced, but also the control unit and wiring in between. Thus, rather than improved components of the equipment being added as they are improved, major improvements in the total equipment must be made to encourage users to purchase and install totally new equipment.